Today a friend asked me if Ludwig Supraphonic snares live up to the hype. I think they do, in our minds. Recently I've been spending time on my two keystone Supras, a c.1968 5-incher and an earlier (maybe 1964) 6.5-inch LM402, playing jazz, reggae, and dance gigs among other things. They sound and look awesome to me, despite the chrome flakes. Now I want Blue-and-olive 1970s versions in both sizes.
The world-famous Ludwig metal snare is known for its backbeat presence on all kinds of hit songs featuring drumming by Hal Blaine and almost everyone else. I saw a video of Alan Dawson hitting one back in the day. In its deeper form, the Supraphonic is universally associated with John Bonham, who I heard always played the LudAlloy and not the more valuable chome-over-brass version. I saw jazzman Joe Farnsworth playing a 6.5. This ubiquity must mean something, especially when most of the more technically, materially great brass snares get much less attention.
How much of the ongoing Supraphonic fever, then and now, is actually sonic and how much is psychological or emotional?